Watch the sessions of the Forum on YouTube

The Working Group on business and human rights presents preliminary results of its baseline survey on State implementation of the Guiding Principles

Final Forum programme - Opening Session in Assembly Hall 

Forum on Business and Human Rights - Photos

OHCHR Google+ Hangout on Business and Human Rights in run-up to the Forum. See the discussion on youtube.

"Making human rights a priority for business" - Webstory on the Forum on Business and Human Rights

The first United Nations Forum on Business and Human Rights was held in Geneva on 3-5 December 2012. The two days of the Forum included more than 20 official sessions, with a number of side sessions held from 3-5 December. Around 1,000 participants from more than 80 countries registered to attend the Forum, making it the largest global gathering on business and human rights to date. The Forum focused on discussing trends and challenges in relation to implementation of the Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights for implementation of the United Nations "Protect, Respect and Remedy" framework. The Forum was chaired by John Ruggie, former Special-Representative of the Secretary-General on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises.

Key documents:

• Final programme information
  E only
• Provisional agenda
  E F R S C
• Background note by the Secretariat
  E F S R C A
• Concept note by the Working Group
  E F S R C A
• Summary of discussions of the Forum on Business and Human Rights
  E F R S C A

Others:

• Statements Delivered During the Forum
• Submissions
• List of organizations registered as of 28 November

Statements and presentations by Forum participants

Addresses and Keynote Statements from the High-Level Opening Segment

• High-Level Session Statement by Ms. Navi Pillay, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
• Welcome remarks by the President of the Human Rights Council, Ms. Laura Dupuy Lasserre
• Opening address by the Chairperson of the Forum, Prof. John Ruggie
• Opening remarks by the Chairperson of the Working Group, Dr. Puvan Selvanathan
• Keynote statement by Debbie Stothard, Deputy Secretary-General for FIDH and Coordinator of ALTSEAN-Burma
• Keynote statement by Sandra Polanski, Deputy Director-General for Policy, ILO
• Statement by EU Special Representative for Human Rights Stavros Lambrinidis
• Statement by Mr. Andrei Galaev, CEO of Sakhalin Energy Ltd

Statements by UN Working Group Members

• Statement by Alexandra Gu�queta, Member of the UN Working Group - Session on global trends in Implementation of the Guiding Principles, 4th December 2012

Statements Delivered During Other Sessions

• Presentation of Richard Howitt MEP, European Parliament Rapporteur on Corporate Social Responsibility
• Statement by Larry Devoe, Director General de Servicios Jur�dicos de la Defensor�a del Pueblo de Venezuela
• Statement by the Human Rights Commission of the State of Nuevo Leon, - Side event on the role of National Human Rights Institutions, 3rd December
• Statement by Ms. Bente Angell-Hansen, Secretary General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Norway - Session on the State duty to protect, 4 December
• Presentation by Ms. Rosa Amaro, affected stakeholder, La Oroya case, Peru - Session on access to judicial remedy, 4 December
• Statement by Ms. Juana Kweitel, Program Director Human Rights, Conectas - Session on access to judicial remedy, 4 December
• Presentation by Mr. Dickay Kunda, affected stakeholder, the Kilwa mining case, DRC - Session on access to judicial remedy, 4 December
• Presentation by Ms. Claire Methven O'Brien, International Coordinating Council of NHRIs/Danish Institute for Human Rights - Session on the state duty to protect, 4 December
• Statement delivered by Australia - 4th December, Session on The State Duty To Protect
• Statement by the Russian Federation, 4 December
• Statement delivered by Slovenia - 4th December, Session on The State Duty To Protect
• Statement by the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, 4 December
• Statement delivered by Italy - 4th December, Session on public finance
• Statement by Mr. Antonio Sergio Escriv�o Filho, Legal Advisor, Terra de Direitos - Session on judicial remedy, 4 December
• Statement by Lazaro Pary, 4 December
• Statement by Chief Willie Littlechild, Chair of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples - closing session 5 December
• Statement by Prof. James Anaya, Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples - Session on indigenous peoples, 5 December
• Presentation by Mr Daniel Avila Camacho, Director Presidential Programme for Integrated Mine Action (PPAICMA), Colombia - Session on conflict zones, 5 December
• Presentation by Mr. Liang Xiaohui, Chief Researcher, China National Textile and Apparel Council and Lecturer in Business and Human Rights at Peking University - Session on state duty, 5 December
• Statement by Ms. Myriam Montrat, Canadian Human Rights Commission, Chair, International Coordinating Committee of NHRIs� Working Group on Business and Human Rights - Session on capacity building, 5 December
• Statement by Mr. Mousa Burayzat, Chair, International Coordinating Committee of NHRIs - Closing session, 5 December
• Statement by the European Union - Closing session, 5 December
• Statement by Tupaj Amaro - Closing session, 5 December
• Response by Credit Suisee on question related to the Thun Group, Session on the role of the finance sector, 5 December
• Written intervention on behalf of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child
• Written intervention by the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), in the framework of their joint programme, the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders
• Presentation by Mr. Suon Bunsak, Executive Secretary, Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee - Session on capacity building, 5 December
• Written statement to the Forum on Business and Human Rights by Mr. Renato Pambid, WAC
• Written statement by Mr. Jim Baker, Council of Global Unions
• Written statement on the quality of the Forum by Ms. Mariette van Huijstee, SOMO
• Written statement by the Indigenous Peoples and Extractive Industries Network (IPEIN)